Any suggestion for a Wednesday lunch next week on Treasure Island (and I guess Yerba Buena, too) I’ve seen video of the new park that just opened with views of SF.
Can’t really narrow it down more except to say that don’t need high end and it will be 3 seniors. We will have a car.
I haven’t been but have been wanting to try this place. Looks like not open Monday-Tuesday though.
We had last year a similar question after a walk on Treasure Island and didn’t really find anything good on that day (and drove over to Berkeley for lunch which isn’t too far). Two recommendations we had were Mersea (which was for some reason closed on that day) and a Bulgarian food truck (Kuker - which was somewhere else)
Works well for the OP since the trip will be on Wednesday. They open Wednesday-Saturday 11am-6:30pm.
I didn’t see many food related establishments other than Mersea and a grocery store when I was on Treasure Island briefly two weeks ago. Bring some food to picnic?
The view is absolutely spectacular. Well worth it.
There’s a new park on Treasure Island that just opened, Cityside Park, on the west side. Weather for Wed. 9/17 says sunny, in the 60s, and breezy.
I’m not seeing much that would work other than Mersea but will keep looking.
Here’s a video of Mersea outside dining from 5 years ago on “Check, Please” starting at the 2:10 mark -
It looks like it’s going to be Mersea, on the west side with views of SF and only a few blocks from the new Cityside Park for lunch on 9/17. Sounds more interesting than Aracely Cafe or takeout at Island Cove Market.
Ten years ago ate at the cafe run by students of the Treasure Island Job Corps Center but that is being shut down.
Hope it doesn’t get too windy and will take pictures.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions.
Off the Grid will be on Treasure Island on Saturdays until early November.
We did make it to Treasure Island a few days ago and it was quite worthwhile. Temperature seemed like the low 70s, only a slight breeze, and the views of SF were clear as the fog filling the Golden Gate was receding.
Parking is easy, the lunch crowd at about noon still left tables available inside the repurposed shipping containers. The grounds contain a miniature golf green, bocce ball lanes and a cactus garden. One of the co-founders of Marsea, MeeSun Boice, was conversing with many of the customers and she can be seen feeding a seagull in the short monochrome clip. She or the chef have some kind of connection to Waterbar on the SF Embarcadero.
Our orders taken at the front counter were served at the table after 10 or 15 minutes: Fish and Chips with steak fries ($19); Island Double Cheese Burger on brioche ($18); and Scrambled Egg and Bacon Breakfast Sandwich on English Muffin ($14). I only tried the breakfast which had eggs that thankfully still had some texture, very wide bacon strips and an aioli that softened the muffins. It was fine and took to the malt vinegar and hot sauce that I used on it.
Mersea, I’m told, is a 10 to 15 minute walk north of the Ferry Terminal. Between Mersea and the Terminal is the just-opened Cityside Park with, weather permitting, clear views of SF and dozens of large blue Adirondack chairs to lounge in. The cloud sculpture, Ned Kahn’s Canopy in the Sky, in the park fits in and is not overly wrought as public art can become. There are also sturdy picnic tables and BBQ grills for d-i-y’ers.
A few more blocks south and across the street from the Ferry Terminal, is the Treasure Island Admin Building. Built in 1938 in the Moderne style, it was originally the terminal for the Pan American Transpacific China Clipper planes and in 1939 became the headquarters for the Golden Gate International Exposition. There are memorabilia of the fair in the building and I believe that Esther Williams and Johnny Weissmuller were performers in the event.
Inside the building, there is the Gold Bar which serves a crab and lobster “Millionaire” corn dog ($19) and, curiously, Chinese Soup Dumplings (xiao long bao) for $19.
There is construction going on all over the island, including new sports facilities and housing. Other than Mersea, Aracely Cafe, Island Cove Market, Gold Bar and about 3 food trucks, I didn’t see any food sites.
In good weather, it’s worth half a day or more walking, biking, taking the Ferry from SF or the 25 Muni bus.
I have eaten there several times. I recommend strongly. I took my parents a few months ago.
First, I recommend taking the time to go to the pinnacle park thing at the top of Yerba Buena (one might think of it as part of TI, but TI is the manufactured flat part). The view is even more exceptional than everywhere else. There’s not much to do there besides the view, but, oh, the view. [ I talked to a cyclist, older fellow from Berkeley, he said twice a week he crosses the bridge and comes up the hill, for a lark ]
Oh, you can also get to TI by ferry these days. The schedule seems a bit hit or miss, but it would be a fun day trip. You can take the bus but its less fun. I think there are also on-demand water taxis plying the little few hundred yards?
Mersea. If you get a table along the front, in one of the two containers or the little patio, it’s a pretty cool spot. There’s something more like overflow seating in the center courtyard, which defeats a bit of the point, the view is so blocked you could be almost anywhere. The “good seats” are mostly (cramped) 4 tops except for one kind of corner booth that would hold more - or maybe push together the “ouside courtyard” tables". But 4 or less you’ve got a chance. The most recent time I was there, there was a private party (wedding rehearsal) that had bought out about half the space. We started at the “courtyard” and I watched the “good seats” like a hawk and pounced, so we had our actual meal with the view.
The food is pretty good, but it’s a super limited menu. The winner was the fried fish, in sandwich form or fish and chips form. It was as good as I’ve had: perfectly cooked (not overcooked), fresh fish, not too much batter, but not too little, good bun, good toppings. Everything else seemed well executed.
They seem to push the alcohol a bit which would make for a good boozy late afternoon stop. Not a broad bar, but things like negronis and spritzes, and a modest beer by the can selection. I wasn’t in that mode.
There was a small jazz combo in the courtyard that wasn’t bad. A little loud (as usual) and I mentioned the courtyard had no view. When I showed up they were finishing, played a couple tunes, packed up.
Would recommend because the view is oh la la, problem is no plan B if there aren’t seats.
Lovely day for some al fresco dining. Off the grid was doing on as well, but I’m not really a food truck aficionado (except for tacos). We strolled through and got some mediocre gelato after lunch. Mersea was very good.
Eventually…
(Google AI) … More restaurants are planned for Treasure Island as part of a large-scale redevelopment project to transform it into a new neighborhood. The development includes a variety of new amenities like hotels, shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues to support a growing population.
